Moving on from meds...?

[Hallelujah]

In the past I've taken Prozac, Celexa and Citalopram, and none of these have helped me to feel any better and the first two made me a lot worse. I'm in a no-meds stage right now due to nightmares, but I wondered if anyone knew what I can expect next? Not being on meds isn't suiting me well so far...but I don't see my GP for another week, and I'm just curious if anyone knows what the next step is likely to be....

[Thirteen]

Well, depends. They may find an anti-depressant that acts differently on the brain (some are SSRIs, some are melatonin-based, etc.), or work on getting you into special therapy, or re-evaluate you. We can't say for sure, since different doctors have different solutions.

[Palmolive]

Hey.

Truth be told it can take a while to find something which works well for you. Medication affects everyone differently. I've been on several different anti-depresents and anti-psychotics and I still haven't found one which I really benefit from and I've been on some which have made me really ill which required medical help. I know it can be hard but you need to be patient and just keep trying with it. Perhaps even do some research yourself before you next see your doctor and see what you think is going to help you and talk to them about it. Another thing is is that maybe it would be good to see a psychiatrist for your medication. I wanted to check that you're in therapy too as this might help.

Take care,
Jessie xx

[Hallelujah]

Yeah, I'm paying for private therapy. I dunno...I hate all this waiting around, wondering 'what's next', especially when I can't even reason with holding out for one more day. There should be a guidebook for depression :/

[Ghost On The Highway]

I'm trying to do the same thing, but I want to wait until after the winter's over to start. I have seasonally facilitated depression (most call it S.A.D.) and have yet to experience a winter on meds (currently taking Effexor 150mg and Lamictal 100mg).

Here's my plan, which will hopefully be of some help to you. Obviously, YMMV.

* Cut alcohol use to 3 drinks per week, down from 8-10 now and 30-40 in my "heyday." This should help concentration and mood.
* Control blood sugar swings by eating fewer simple sugars and carbs. This is obviously more important for diabetics, but healthy people experience blood sugar spikes too, mostly from foods with high glycemic indices (google it, lol). These spikes affect your mood and contribute to fatigue, etc.
* Take supplements: Omega 3 fish oil for concentration, Vitamin D, B vitamins (esp. thiamine), multivitamin, etc.
* Starting in May, gradually wean off Effexor, replacing with a less "potent" antidepressant that acts on norepinephrine and is not associated with physical withdrawal and memory loss. Evaluate the efficacy of Lamictal.
* Eat well. Easier said than done and much more important for mood than most people think.
* Exercise, for positive effects on body, mind, and self-esteem.
* (For winter): Use a light box. These cost money and I can't comment yet on whether it will be effective. If not it'll become a very expensive shop light and grow light for my cacti. Lol.
* Try "natural" antidepressants such as St. John's Wort. I don't really know a lot about these yet.

I hope at least some of this was helpful. Send me a message if you want, I'm usually bored, sometimes friendly, and always nerdy.